West Virginia Research Tips and Strategies: Difference between revisions

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West Virginia

Research Tips and Strategies

Purpose of Research Tips and Strategies Wiki Page
The West Virginia Research Tips and Strategies page consists of links to specific research strategies for West Virginia. It also contains general tips and other resources for finding your ancestors in this locality.

West Virginia Research Strategies[edit | edit source]

Below are links to different research strategy pages to help you locate your ancestors in West Virginia

West Virginia Research Tips[edit | edit source]

These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in West Virginia.

Birth information: Statewide registration of births began in 1917 in West Virginia and was generally complied with by 1925. A helpful substitute record to find birth information is a death record. However, date and place of birth on a death record is considered secondary information, as it was not recorded at the time of the birth event. The birth information should be corroborated with other substitute records to improve accuracy.
Finding Parents: Statewide registration of deaths began in 1917 in West Virginia and was generally complied with by 1925. They often will list the parents of the deceased and their birth information. Search West Virginia death records
Look in all censuses: Always look for your ancestor in every possible census. There are clues regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records. Sometimes parents can be found living with their children later in life. Search U.S. Censuses.

[STATE] Record Finder[edit | edit source]

This brief Record Finder is designed to help you determine the best record to search for the type of information you are looking for. It is most helpful for post-1850 research. For a more complete Record Finder, covering additional research needs, see [[[STATE] Record Finder]].

1. What you are looking for:	2. Try these records first:	3. Other useful records
Birth information	[[How to Find [STATE] Birth Records\|Birth records]] [[How to Find [STATE] Death Records\|Death records]] [[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]] [[[STATE] Church Records\|Church records]]	[[[STATE] Cemeteries\|Cemeteries]] [[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship\|Naturalization and Citizenship]] [[[STATE] Bible Records\|Bible records]] [[[STATE] Military Records\|Military records]]
Marriage information	[[How to Find [STATE] Marriage Records\|Marriage records]] [[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]] [[[STATE] Bible Records\|Bible records]]	[[[STATE] Church Records\|Church records]] [[[STATE] Probate Records\|Probate records]] [[[STATE] Military Records\|Military records]]
Death information	[[How to Find [STATE] Death Records\|Death Records]] [[[STATE] Cemeteries\|Cemeteries]] [[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]]	[[[STATE] Probate Records\|Probate Records]] [[[STATE] Church Records\|Church Records]] [[[STATE] Bible Records\|Bible Records]]
Parents	[[How to Find [STATE] Birth Records\|Birth records]] [[How to Find [STATE] Death Records\|Death records]] [[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]] [[[STATE] Census\|Census]] [[[STATE] Church Records\|Church records]]	[[[STATE] Biography\|Biography]] [[[STATE], United States Genealogy\|Genealogy]]
Maiden name	[[How to Find [STATE] Marriage Records\|Marriage Records]] [[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]] [[[STATE] Probate Records\|Probate records]]	[[[STATE] Church Records\|Church Records]] [[[STATE] Military Records\|Military Records]]
Immigration date	[[[STATE] Emigration and Immigration\|Emigration and Immigration]] [[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship\|Naturalization and Citizenship]] [[[STATE] Census\|Census]]	[[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]] [[[STATE] Biography\|Biography]] [[[STATE] History\|History]]
Naturalization	[[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship\|Naturalization and Citizenship]] [[[STATE] Census\|Census]] [[[STATE] Court Records\|Court Records]]	[[[STATE] Voting Records\|Voting Records]] [[[STATE] Biography\|Biography]] [[[STATE] Periodicals\|Periodicals]]
Physical description	[[[STATE] Military Records\|Military Records]] [[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship\|Naturalization and Citizenship]] (after 1906)	[[[STATE] Biography\|Biography]] [[[STATE] History\|History]]

Further [STATE] Research[edit | edit source]

Remember, for a more complete Record Finder, covering additional research needs, see [[[STATE] Record Finder]].
For online record collections, go to [[[STATE] Online Genealogy Records|[STATE] Online Genealogy Records.]]
For more research on [STATE], including research at the county level, visit the [[[STATE], United States Genealogy|[STATE]]] page on the Research Wiki.
Search all of the West Virginia record collections at FamilySearch.

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 {{WV-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
-| link1=[[West Virginia, United States Genealogy|West Virginia]]
+| link1=[[United States Genealogy|United States]]
-| link2=
+| link2=[[West Virginia, United States Genealogy|West Virginia]]
 | link3=
 | link4=
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 |
 <center><font size = "4"><br>'''Purpose of Research Tips and Strategies Wiki Page'''</font></center><br>
-<center>''The West Virginia Research Tips and Strategies page consists of links to specific research strategies for W:est Virginia. It also contains general tips and other resources for finding your ancestors in this locality.''</center><br>
+<center>''The West Virginia Research Tips and Strategies page consists of links to specific research strategies for West Virginia. It also contains general tips and other resources for finding your ancestors in this locality.''</center><br>
-|}
+|}<br><br>
+[[Category:Research Tips and Strategies]]
+=== West Virginia Research Strategies  ===
-== West Virginia Research Strategies  ==
 Below are links to different research strategy pages to help you locate your ancestors in West Virginia<br>
-===Finding West Virginia Birth, Marriage or Death Records===
+*[[West Virginia Online Genealogy Records|West Virginia Online Genealogy Records]]
-*[[GuidedResearch:West Virginia|Finding West Virginia Births, Marriages, and Deaths using Guided Research]]
+*[[How to Find West Virginia Birth Records|How to find West Virginia Birth Records]]
+*[[How to Find West Virginia Marriage Records|How to find West Virginia Marriage Records]]
+*[[How to Find West Virginia Death Records|How to find West Virginia Death Records]]
+=== West Virginia Research Tips  ===
-===Finding West Virginia Records===
+These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in West Virginia.
-*[[West Virginia Record Finder]]
-===West Virginia Statewide Databases===
+*'''Birth information:''' Statewide registration of births began in 1917 in West Virginia and was generally complied with by 1925. A helpful substitute record to find birth information is a death record. However, date and place of birth on a death record is considered secondary information, as it was not recorded at the time of the birth event. The birth information should be corroborated with other [[Substitute Records For United States Birth Information|substitute records]] to improve accuracy.
-*[[West Virginia Online Genealogy Records]]
+*'''Finding Parents:''' Statewide registration of deaths began in 1917 in West Virginia and was generally complied with by 1925. &nbsp;They often will list the parents of the deceased and their birth information. [[How to Find United States Death Records|Search West Virginia death records]]
+*'''Look in all censuses:''' Always look for your ancestor in every possible census. There are clues regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records. Sometimes parents can be found living with their children later in life. [[United States Census Online|Search U.S. Censuses]].
-===West Virginia Research Process===
+[[Category:Research Tips and Strategies]]
-*[[Step-by-Step West Virginia Research, 1880-Present]]
+=== [STATE] Record Finder  ===
-*[[Step-by-Step West Virginia Research, 1850-1910]]
-*[[West Virginia Descendancy Research]]
-*[[How to Find West Virginia Birth Records|How to find West Virginia Birth Records]]
-*[[How to Find West Virginia Marriage Records|How to find West Virginia Marriage Records]]
-*[[How to Find West Virginia Death Records|How to find West Virginia Death Records]]
-== West Virginia Research Tips  ==
+This brief Record Finder is designed to help you determine the best record to search for the type of information you are looking for. It is most helpful for post-1850 research. '''For a more complete Record Finder, covering additional research needs, see [[[STATE] Record Finder]].'''
-These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in West Virginia:<br>
-<br>
-'''Birth and Death information:'''<br>
-----
-*'''''Statewide registration:''''' Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1917 and was generally complied with by 1925.<ref>''West Virginia Research Outline.'' Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1997, 22. (Accessed 20 Feb 2025). '''''Online at:''''' [http://files.lib.byu.edu/family-history-library/research-outlines/US/WestVirginia.pdf BYU University - Provo]</ref>
-*'''''County registration:''''' County birth and death records date from 1853 to the present for most counties. <ref>''West Virginia Research Outline.'' Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1997, 22. (Accessed 20 Feb 2025). '''''Online at:''''' [http://files.lib.byu.edu/family-history-library/research-outlines/US/WestVirginia.pdf BYU University - Provo]</ref>
-*'''''Access to records:''''' See [[West Virginia Vital Records]] for more information about birth, marriages, and deaths in West Virginia.
-<br>
-'''Substitute Records:'''
-----
-*'''''Secondary source:''''' Substitute records are used when primary sources do not exist for an event, such as birth, marriage, and deaths. Secondary sources list information about the event but they were not recorded at the time of the event and they are not an official record of the event.
-*'''''Accuracy:''''' Because the information about an event in substitute records was not the official recording of the event (such as, cemetery or obituary records) inaccuracy may occur. Use other substitute records to help verify information.
-*'''''List of substitute records:''''' See [[West Virginia Substitute Records|West Virginia Substitute Records]] for more information.
-<br>
-'''Finding Parents:'''
-----
-*'''''Death records:'''''  In 1917, the state required recording the deceased's birth and parent information. Information was not always provided and the accuracy of the information was limited by the grieving relatives' memory.
-*'''''Obituaries:''''' Official obituaries can also include the names of parents and other family members. See [[West Virginia Newspapers]] and [[West Virginia Obituaries]] for more information.
-*'''''Church records:''''' Knowing the denomination of the church the family belonged to helps in locating information about the parents. See [[West Virginia Church Records]] for more information.
-<br>
-'''Census Records:'''
-----
-*'''''Check all census years:''''' Always look for your ancestor in every possible census to learn more about them and their family members. See [[West Virginia Census|West Virginia Census Records]] for more information.
-*'''''Clues to other records:''''' There are clues in censuses regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records.
-*'''''Finding families:''''' Starting in 1850, all members of the household were listed in the census. By 1880, relationship to the head of household was added.
-== Further West Virginia Research  ==
+{| width="70%" border="1"
-*[http://files.lib.byu.edu/family-history-library/research-outlines/US/WestVirginia.pdf West Virginia Family History Library Research Outline]
+|-
-*[https://www.wvgw.net/ West Virginia GenWeb Project] - West Virginia GenWeb Project
+| style="padding:10px"| '''1. What you are looking for:'''
-*[http://genealogytrails.com/wva/ West Virginia Genealogy Trails] - Collection of transcribed data for the state of West Virginia
+| style="padding:10px"| '''2. Try these records first:'''
-*[http://www.cyndislist.com/us/wv/ Cyndi's List] - West Virginia genealogy websites
+| style="padding:10px"|'''3. Other useful records'''
-*[http://www.raogk.org/westvirginia-genealogy/ Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness] - State of West Virginia Records Guide
+|-
+| style="padding:10px"|
+Birth information
+| style="padding:10px; vertical-align:top"|
+*[[How to Find [STATE] Birth Records|Birth records]]
+*[[How to Find [STATE] Death Records|Death records]]
+*[[[STATE] Obituaries|Obituaries]]
+*[[[STATE] Church Records|Church records]]
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[[STATE] Cemeteries|Cemeteries]]
+*[[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship|Naturalization and Citizenship]]
+*[[[STATE] Bible Records|Bible records]]
+*[[[STATE] Military Records|Military records]]
+|-
+| style="padding:10px"|Marriage information
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[How to Find [STATE] Marriage Records|Marriage records]]
+*[[[STATE] Obituaries|Obituaries]]
+*[[[STATE] Bible Records|Bible records]]
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[[STATE] Church Records|Church records]]
+*[[[STATE] Probate Records|Probate records]]
+*[[[STATE] Military Records|Military records]]
+|-
+| style="padding:10px"|Death information
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[How to Find [STATE] Death Records|Death Records]]
+*[[[STATE] Cemeteries|Cemeteries]]
+*[[[STATE] Obituaries|Obituaries]]
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[[STATE] Probate Records|Probate Records]]
+*[[[STATE] Church Records|Church Records]]
+*[[[STATE] Bible Records|Bible Records]]
+|-
+| style="padding:10px"|Parents
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[How to Find [STATE] Birth Records|Birth records]]
+*[[How to Find [STATE] Death Records|Death records]]
+*[[[STATE] Obituaries|Obituaries]]
+*[[[STATE] Census|Census]]
+*[[[STATE] Church Records|Church records]]
+| style="padding:10px; vertical-align:top"|
+*[[[STATE] Biography|Biography]]
+*[[[STATE], United States Genealogy|Genealogy]]
+|-
+| style="padding:10px"|
+Maiden name
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[How to Find [STATE] Marriage Records|Marriage Records]]
+*[[[STATE] Obituaries|Obituaries]]
+*[[[STATE] Probate Records|Probate records]]
+| style="padding:10px; vertical-align:top"|
+*[[[STATE] Church Records|Church Records]]
+*[[[STATE] Military Records|Military Records]]
+|-
+| style="padding:10px"|
+Immigration date
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[[STATE] Emigration and Immigration|Emigration and Immigration]]
+*[[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship|Naturalization and Citizenship]]
+*[[[STATE] Census|Census]]
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[[STATE] Obituaries|Obituaries]]
+*[[[STATE] Biography|Biography]]
+*[[[STATE] History|History]]
+|-
+| style="padding:10px"|
+Naturalization
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship|Naturalization and Citizenship]]
+*[[[STATE] Census|Census]]
+*[[[STATE] Court Records|Court Records]]
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[[STATE] Voting Records|Voting Records]]
+*[[[STATE] Biography|Biography]]
+*[[[STATE] Periodicals|Periodicals]]
+|-
+| style="padding:10px"|
+Physical description
+| style="padding:10px"|
+*[[[STATE] Military Records|Military Records]]
+*[[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship|Naturalization and Citizenship]] (after 1906)
+| style="padding:10px; vertical-align:top"|
+*[[[STATE] Biography|Biography]]
+*[[[STATE] History|History]]
+|}
+=== Further [STATE] Research  ===
+*'''Remember, for a more complete Record Finder, covering additional research needs, see [[[STATE] Record Finder]].'''
+*For online record collections, go to [[[STATE] Online Genealogy Records|'''[STATE] Online Genealogy Records.''']]
+*For more research on [STATE], including research at the county level, visit the [[[STATE], United States Genealogy|'''[STATE]''']] page on the Research Wiki.
+*Search all of the [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/location/28?region=United%20States%20of%20America West Virginia record collections] at FamilySearch.<br>
-==References==
-{{reflist}}
 [[Category:West Virginia, United States]][[Category:United States Research Strategies]]
 [[Category:Research Tips and Strategies]]

1. What you are looking for:	2. Try these records first:	3. Other useful records
Birth information	[[How to Find [STATE] Birth Records\|Birth records]] [[How to Find [STATE] Death Records\|Death records]] [[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]] [[[STATE] Church Records\|Church records]]	[[[STATE] Cemeteries\|Cemeteries]] [[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship\|Naturalization and Citizenship]] [[[STATE] Bible Records\|Bible records]] [[[STATE] Military Records\|Military records]]
Marriage information	[[How to Find [STATE] Marriage Records\|Marriage records]] [[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]] [[[STATE] Bible Records\|Bible records]]	[[[STATE] Church Records\|Church records]] [[[STATE] Probate Records\|Probate records]] [[[STATE] Military Records\|Military records]]
Death information	[[How to Find [STATE] Death Records\|Death Records]] [[[STATE] Cemeteries\|Cemeteries]] [[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]]	[[[STATE] Probate Records\|Probate Records]] [[[STATE] Church Records\|Church Records]] [[[STATE] Bible Records\|Bible Records]]
Parents	[[How to Find [STATE] Birth Records\|Birth records]] [[How to Find [STATE] Death Records\|Death records]] [[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]] [[[STATE] Census\|Census]] [[[STATE] Church Records\|Church records]]	[[[STATE] Biography\|Biography]] [[[STATE], United States Genealogy\|Genealogy]]
Maiden name	[[How to Find [STATE] Marriage Records\|Marriage Records]] [[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]] [[[STATE] Probate Records\|Probate records]]	[[[STATE] Church Records\|Church Records]] [[[STATE] Military Records\|Military Records]]
Immigration date	[[[STATE] Emigration and Immigration\|Emigration and Immigration]] [[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship\|Naturalization and Citizenship]] [[[STATE] Census\|Census]]	[[[STATE] Obituaries\|Obituaries]] [[[STATE] Biography\|Biography]] [[[STATE] History\|History]]
Naturalization	[[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship\|Naturalization and Citizenship]] [[[STATE] Census\|Census]] [[[STATE] Court Records\|Court Records]]	[[[STATE] Voting Records\|Voting Records]] [[[STATE] Biography\|Biography]] [[[STATE] Periodicals\|Periodicals]]
Physical description	[[[STATE] Military Records\|Military Records]] [[[STATE] Naturalization and Citizenship\|Naturalization and Citizenship]] (after 1906)	[[[STATE] Biography\|Biography]] [[[STATE] History\|History]]